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Overview:
By the end of the twelfth grade, students should be able to appreciate how cultural change causes people's perceptions of places and regions to change. This lesson focuses on the sequential occupancy of a specific habitat.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, social studies, language skills
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 6: "How culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions"
Time:
Three to four hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access (optional)
- Drawing paper
- Pencils, pens, or markers
- Historical maps, pictures, or diagrams of an area
- Optional: GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software
Objectives:
Students will
- be able to classify examples of cultural landscapes within a place; and
- apply the concept of sequential occupancy to a specific habitat.
Geographic Skills:
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Explain the concept of sequential occupancy of a specific habitat. Be clear that a change of occupancy is related to the change in cultural perceptions of a place or region. For example, consider the impact of settlement on an Arctic archipelago by the following groups of people: indigenous peoples; a group of 19th-century seafaring explorers; settlers who came to hunt, fish, and trade; seasonal whalers and fishermen; and geologists searching for petroleum in the area. Students should understand how the culture of each group influenced its perception of the archipelago's value.
Have students brainstorm about research methods for discovering how changes in perception would alter the occupancy of a place or region. Would they map the place or region over time? Would they read historical accounts of the area? Would they look at newspapers and other periodicals? Would they interview older residents?
Development:
Have students create a visual time line with maps, pictures, and written accounts. Divide the class into small groups. Each group will research and map a particular time in their community's history. Have students consider
- which eras to map, based on the groups that have occupied the area;
- the size of the area to be researched, including current town, county, and state or regional boundaries (for mapping the layers, standardize the boundaries for all groups);
- which cultural features to look for and follow (e.g., housing styles, food sources, chief jobs, or sources of income); and
- the level and uses of technology.
Have students work in teams to gather information about residential buildings, businesses, agricultural areas, and paths of transportation. They should research multiple sources, including the local library or historical society or community Web site for archival records, books, old newspapers, historical photos, and community maps. They might also write their local Chamber of Commerce for information.
Groups should list their findings with the date and source of the item found. As a class, decide on a common basic map, scale, and legend to start with so that all the groups' maps can be easily compared.
Each team should map the area, using symbols to identify the features. One group should map the area as it currently looks, being sure to include orientation and legend on each layer. (The current map and earlier occupancy layers could be easily built and manipulated in a GIS program.) The maps could possibly show the evolution of an area from the time of nomadic hunter-gatherers to a sparsely settled agricultural community to an urban city.
Hang the maps, in order, and have each team present its findings to the class, beginning with the earliest documentation of occupancy. In oral presentations, students should explain how each group of people who came to that environment perceived it and used it.
After all teams have made their presentations, have students classify the characteristics of each time period's map. Students should notice the changes in settlement patterns in the community and understand that people's views and perceived needs have changed as culture (including technology) has changed.
Closing:
Ask student how they think cultural changes (e.g., government policies, religious practices, educational opportunities, technological advances, family structures, and language patterns) may have affected residents. Which changes were for the better and which for the worse?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Ask students to write geography journal entries explaining their study of sequential occupancy. They should include examples of cultural features and a generalization of the region. What factors influence their own perception of how each group used the environment?
Extending the Lesson:
Have students hypothesize about how the area might change in the future. They could sketch what the area might look like, based on current trends. They may then want to recommend measures for preserving cultural treasures of the past. These maps and recommendations could be shared with a local government official or environmental club.
Stan Masters of Blissfield Community School in Blissfield, Michigan, contributed classroom ideas for Standard 6.
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